Monkeypox outbreak slows in Europe and is 'in the right direction', says WHO

People wait to receive doses of monkeypox vaccine, at Guy's Hospital, central London, July 30, 2022. © Henry Nicholls / Reuters

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On the front line of the monkeypox epidemic, Europe is " 

 ", judged the European office of the World Health Organization on Tuesday 30 August.

The epidemic shows signs of slowing down on the continent, but the UN institution calls for strengthening the efforts undertaken. 

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The slowdown seems to have started around mid-August: since this period, the number of new confirmed cases of monkeypox has been decreasing in the WHO European zone, which includes Russia and countries in Central Asia.

From 2,000 cases per week recorded in July, we went to 500 last week.

Several countries,

, Germany, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom, are recording a drop in the number of cases.

According to the European office of the WHO, this favorable development is due in particular to earlier detection and therefore isolation of patients, as well as to a change in the behavior of the most exposed populations.

The organization urges to urgently step up efforts to “ 

” of monkeypox in the region.

It recommends maintaining measures for the surveillance and identification of contact cases, targeted vaccination, awareness and prevention, especially among the male homosexual community, where the virus is mainly circulating for the moment.

A total of 22,000 cases have been identified in Europe, i.e. 1/3 of the number

.

But the number of cases is underestimated: in France, for example, not all probable cases are tested or counted.

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• monkey pox

• Health and medicine

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• European Union